American consumers have always been a demanding lot—and with good reason!
Most consumers have experienced poor customer service, and they're wary of services offered by businesses: They think twice before opting for a new service. And they waste no time running away from a product if they are not satisfied.
Let's assume you are offering the best product in the world. People will one way or another learn about the product and flock to your business in droves.
And that's where the problems start: Your product cannot survive on its own; it needs the backup of a strong team of customer support professionals. The way they interact with your target audience will determine how far your business goes in the competitive world.
American firms lose approx. $41 billion every year when clients abandon them citing poor customer service. That is a huge figure, proving that disregard for customer service is more prevalent in the US than you likely thought.
How customer-friendly are you?
Let's start with your services. Ask yourself these questions:
- Does my product meet customer requirements satisfactorily?
- Does positive customer feedback outweigh the negative? Or is it the other way around?
Those two questions may appear simple, but they offer amazing insights on how you should approach your product's positioning in the market. Use those questions as a starting point for helping to place your business in perspective.
Then go through the following eight tips to run a customer-friendly business.
1. Introduce a customer-oriented vision statement for your company
The ideal vision statement highlights what your company seeks to achieve in the future. It is prominently displayed on your website and other company literature.
Most companies keep things simple by having a statement like this: "To become the No. 1 furniture manufacturing company in the United States."
My suggestion would be to have a more elaborate customer-centric vision statement that strikes a chord with your target audience. Here is how I would rewrite the above: "To manufacture people-friendly furniture that helps us make the lives of our customers more convenient. We seek consistent customer satisfaction as a pathway to greater success in the industry."
Notice the extent to which the second statement goes to connect with the company's target audience.
2. Inculcate the importance of customer satisfaction at every stage in the organizational structure
Every employee should understand the importance of customer satisfaction. Everybody in the company should join in to make every customer experience special and memorable. And that is possible only if you provide adequate training to employees.
3. Understand the kind of experience your customer seeks
How do you discover the experience your customer seeks? The answer is simple: Analyze the services offered by your most successful competitor. How do they interact with customers? How well are their products accepted?
Become inspired by them.
